VA-003 Explain Vault architecture Practice Question
Exhibit
storage "file" {
path = "/vault/data"
}
seal "awskms" {
region = "us-west-2"
kms_key_id = "1234abcd-12ab-34cd-56ef-1234567890ab"
}
listener "tcp" {
address = "0.0.0.0:8200"
tls_disable = "false"
tls_cert_file = "/etc/vault/vault.crt"
tls_key_file = "/etc/vault/vault.key"
}
api_addr = "https://vault.example.com:8200"
cluster_addr = "https://vault.example.com:8201"Refer to the exhibit. What seal mechanism is configured for this Vault instance?
⚠ Common exam trap
HashiCorp often tests the distinction between default Shamir sealing and external auto-unseal mechanisms; the trap here is that candidates see a Vault configuration and assume it uses the default Shamir seal, missing the explicit `seal "awskms"` directive that overrides it.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
AWS KMS auto-unseal
The exhibit shows a Vault instance configured with `seal "awskms"` and a `region` and `kms_key_id` specified. This indicates that AWS KMS is used as the auto-unseal mechanism, where Vault delegates the unsealing process to AWS Key Management Service, eliminating the need for manual Shamir key shares.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
AWS KMS auto-unseal
Why this is correct
The seal block specifies AWS KMS.
- ✗
HSM seal via PKCS#11
Why it's wrong here
No HSM configuration is shown.
- ✗
Shamir seal with default shares
Why it's wrong here
Shamir is not configured; the seal block overrides it.
- ✗
No seal; Vault is in insecure mode
Why it's wrong here
A seal block is present, so it's configured.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This VA-003 practice question is part of Courseiva's free HashiCorp certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the VA-003 exam.